Funding for stadium looks bleak

Published 7:00 pm, Saturday, September 27, 2003

Less than half of the money needed to build a proposed $17-million football stadium for the Conroe Independent School District is actually available.

Cost increases in several 2001 bond projects and the need to dip into bond monies for 40 new school buses mean that the maximum dollars available for the stadium, proposed for south Montgomery County, is approximately $8 million.

During a regular board meeting Sept. 16, CISD trustees approved spending $3.3 million for cost variances at Runyan Elementary School, a proposed elementary flex school for The Woodlands and Travis Intermediate School, as well as $2.5 million to buy school buses.

Now, only $5.023 million in net available funds, plus another $3 million in contingency money, is available, Chief Financial Officer Dan Cox told trustees.

"The $16.8 million isn't there," he said. "As far as we're concerned, unless somebody says 'Spend the money,' we don't have it."

The need to spend more bond money on Runyan, Travis and the flex school stems from a recent demographic study presented to CISD administration in the past two weeks, Cox said.

The study indicates that projected enrollment at Runyan, Travis and the flex school will be greater than anticipated when the bond referendum was proposed, according to Cox.

Approximately $700,000 in additional bond monies are needed to add eight new classrooms and a new bus canopy at Runyan, while another six classrooms need to be added at Travis, costing $500,000.

Earlier in the evening, trustees had approved a bid for $3.5 million for planned expansion and renovations at Travis; the bid, the lowest one received by the district for the project, was $1 million higher than planned in the referendum.

An additional 10 classrooms will be needed for The Woodlands elementary flex school, tacking another $1.1 million onto that project, originally proposed in the bond at $9.65 million.

Trustees put the stadium project on hold when residents voiced their opposition to it. Originally planned as a $2.73 million upgrade to a junior varsity athletic facility at a new high school now under construction in The Woodlands, the project grew in scope to $17 million.

Members of the original 2001 bond referendum facility planning committee are currently meeting to assess critical needs at other CISD schools not addressed in the bond.

"I'm anticipating the committee members will bring in recommendations for Sam Houston (elementary school) not on the bond," trustee Mel Brown said.

Cox noted that the members, who met Sept. 15, were apprised of the changes in the bond projects, and Superintendent Don Stockton added that they have also been informed that there is $5 million available for critical needs.

"Does this eliminate funds for the south county stadium?" trustee Bruce Tough asked.

"All that's allocated is $1.6 million," Cox replied.

After trustees approved the additional bond monies for the schools, Cox then recommended they approve another $2.5 million to buy 40 new buses.

"Recent events have made the purchase of these buses more critical," he said.

The district had consolidated bus stops before school started in August, necessitating fewer buses.

However, parent outcry over the change in bus stops, which meant young students had to walk up to nearly half a mile to their stop, caused administrators to restore original stops for elementary school students.

"Eighteen buses are needed for school routes as we have reassessed them," Cox said.